FIRST Minister Rhodri Morgan paid tribute in the Welsh Assembly yesterday to legendary footballer John Charles who died at the weekend.

Mr Morgan began the weekly First Minister's Question Time by describing Charles as the embodiment of the Welsh spirit of fair play.

He said: "He came from the back streets of Swansea, part of a generation of extremely talented schoolboy footballers and later professionals, the Alchurch brothers; the Charles brothers, John and Mel; Cliff Jones, Jack Kelsey and others, all of whom went on to become stars in the old first division and most of whom played for Wales in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.

"John Charles was undoubtedly the greatest of them all."

Mr Morgan added: "Famously, in one of his early games in Turin, after accidentally flattening the centre-half and being one-on-one with the goalkeeper, he booted the ball over the touchline to go back to see how badly injured the centre-half was."

Mr Morgan told AMs: "I think on behalf of the whole of Wales we today pay our respects to one of the great Welshmen of the 20th century."